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SUNDAY POUCH

A question of governance

Ashfaqur Rahman
When the Awami League contested the national elections, under the last caretaker government, it had pledged two very important things. One was to change the way the country was governed. It called this Din Bodol. The change would be for the better. The other was to present a vision of a modern Bangladesh, which would be implemented in stages.
It was the fascination of Din Bodol that attracted voters on electionday. The first Din Bodol action was when the party prohibited wild electoral celebration. The next major Din Bodol was when the prime minister announced a cabinet where there were new faces, some young some old, thus submitting a happy mix of the wise and the wonderful. The third Din Bodol was when the prime minister went to Delhi to initiate a new state of relations with our powerful neighbour. Oh, those heady days!
But soon the government faced several challenges. First was the BDR revolt. This was followed by the world economic downturn. Then came sporadic violence and the deficit in supply of electricity. Awami League seemed to tackle most of the issues hands on. As India could not keep the pledges made to our prime minister, the Awami League suffered some collateral political damage.
In the meantime, the International War Crimes Tribunal started its work in Dhaka. Slowly but surely, due process was underway to reverse the impunity that the people and the nation had been subjected to since the liberation of the country. In spite of political pressures from inside the country and from interested international quarters, the trials could finally begin. An election pledge was at last being implemented.
In the last three and half years, the government had the fortune to enjoy bumper crop harvests. This was as much due to the diligence of the farmer as to the creditable policy mix of the government that provided agricultural inputs where required, including electricity for irrigation, on time and at reasonable costs. The Awami League therefore could keep its large vote bank in the rural areas contended. But the government's popularity peaked when Bangladesh got a handsome maritime award, courtesy of an international arbitration that finally solved its maritime border demarcation dispute with Myanmar.
But then something suddenly snapped in political circles. In an arbitrary manner, the government pounced on Professor Yunus and the Grameen Bank, both Nobel Prize laureates for peace. The professor was accused of "malfeasance" for serving a term beyond his retirement years. Not only was he dismissed from his post, the government machinery also swung in to demonise his past. The Grameen Bank was also not spared. A fundamental change in its law was made to see that any future managing director would have to listen to the diktat of 3 % shareholders (who belong to the government) instead of the 97 % shareholders who happen to be women and poor but who represented more than 20 million stake holders in the Bank. These decisions brought discredit to the government for no ostensible reason. The international community was also outraged.
Then came the financial scandals. First, the stock market crash and the loss that was taken by the small investors. The government initiated a couple of probes. But the report that listed the mischief makers was not published. The probe chairman was himself questioned. The media in the meantime reported huge flight of capital abroad. This was a case of inept handling by the government. It was pushing itself into a corner.
Next came the financial scandal connected with the Destiny group. Several big names were involved. The allegations were investigated by those who are paid by the people to do so. But nothing of substance emerged. Then came the latest scandal. This involved the state-run Sonali Bank, which gave out thousands of cores of takas as loan to a company that did not have enough credentials to ask for such a loan from the largest public bank of the country. The activities of the banks were being poorly monitored, not only by politically appointed directors but also by the Bangladesh Bank and even by the Ministry of Finance. The finance minister could only tell the press that half of the public money would be returned. What about the rest? What steps will be taken against those who gave such classified loan is now really a matter of conjecture. Gross negligence in duty as well as malafide intentions of high ups took hold of governance.
Before these scandals, there were also serious issues relating to law and order. Reputed journalists were not only hounded but were allegedly killed by unknown assailants. A well known labour leader was also assassinated. There was also alleged abduction of important public figures, some belonging to the main opposition. In spite of the law enforcers trying to piece things together to solve the mysteries, some of them were found busy enquiring into the activities of the opposition leaders. And that also in a democracy! Pictures of law enforcers going "berserk" against citizens, sometimes maiming them at other times humiliating them, was another unfortunate aspect that tainted the government. People who elected them to power were now having doubts about their own electoral wisdom.
Our poor road and rail infrastructure had always worried the people. The government tried to do its best about repairing the transport infrastructure with its meager resources. But the minister responsible for this sensitive task was fighting his way through a graft scandal over his alleged role in the mega Padma Bridge project. The World Bank cancelled the huge loan and other financiers went on hold with their money too because there was evidence abroad about corrupt dealings. The Awami League had promised before the election to implement this project, which will bring benefit to 30 million people in the southwest part of Bangladesh. But for the obduracy of the government the project seemed to be left in the cold storage. This is a classic case of opaque handling of international loans which the people have to repay.
Why has this government suddenly started doing all the wrong things? Is there no sensible person to help and advise our top leaders? Or are they surrounded by highly incompetent persons who have no idea about administering the day to day business of the government? To whom is the government beholden? Many say it is the quality of governance that is inhibiting the functioning of the government.
Good governance is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, equitable, and follows the rule of law. Can we say that we can attribute any of these characteristics to our governance? Some of the events narrated explain the real state of things. When a government starts listening to political flunkies and to opportunists and not to the real politicians who have the welfare of the people at heart, then this is what happens.
People have a long memory. The next election is not far away. Time therefore is of essence. Those who govern today must be made aware that the votes of the governed do count. Let the flotsam and the jetsam of governance be sent to where they actually belong. The people have no time for tomfoolery any more.
Is anybody listening there?
The writer is a former Ambassador and a regular commentator on contemporary affairs.
E-mail: ashfaque303@gmail.com